How I Live Now

Cast of Characters:

Daisy - Saoirse Ronan

Edmond - George MacKay

Isaac - Tom Holland

Piper - Harley Bird

Aunt Penn - Anna Chancellor

Director - Kevin Macdonald

Screenplay - Jeremy Brock, Tony Grisoni & Penelope Skinner

Based on the novel How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Rated R for violence, disturbing images, language and some sexuality

      Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan stars in Academy Award winning director Kevin Macdonald's How I Live Now.

      Daisy is an attitude filled New York City teenager that's sent to England to stay the summer with her British cousins, Edmond (George MacKay), Isaac (Tom Holland) and Piper (Harley Bird). At first, she's reluctant to want anything at all to do with them, but over time she warms up to three, even growing feelings for the eldest of the bunch, Edmond... her cousin. I'm not quite sure if by "cousin" that's just British talk for friends or if it's the type of cousin that runs the risk of conceiving a child with an arm growing out of its forehead, but whatever, they like each other.

      Meanwhile, an unsettling political crisis around the world is slowly brewing, which eventually leads to a nuclear bomb being detonated in London. With Daisy's Aunt Penn (Anna Chancellor) away at an emergency conference in Geneva, the kids must fight for their lives.

      I've never read the novel this film is based on, but although a part of me was fearing with a film tagline like "Love will lead you home" at some point a Twilight style love triangle will rear its ugly head (more appropriately would be The Host also starring Ronan), I am a fan of Ronan's and I loved Macdonald's film The Last King of Scotland. Luckily, no love triangle shows up, but you may still find the glaring tonal shift to be just as unnecessary. During the first act, we get the typical character introductions with the kids being all whimsical and fun with their fishing trips and marshmallow picnics. Then Macdonald completely jerks the steering wheel in the other direction once the bomb goes off. There are plenty of movies I've seen before where the tone is all over the map and you can tell the director has no idea what he wants. That's not the case here. I do give credit to Macdonald in that he clearly had every intention to essentially say to the viewer, "Watch this." and then smack everyone watching across the face. The problem I have is that the second and third acts were much more interesting, whereas the introductory act was just fluff. Well acted fluff, mind you, but fluff nonetheless. In spite of that, I didn't find this movie to be that bad at all. With already one Oscar nomination (Best Supporting Actress for Atonement in 2008) stamped on her resume, Saoirse Ronan is one of the few young actresses out there that continues to impress me. Despite, The Host, while not horrible, being bland, mediocre and certainly not the vehicle to progress her talent, Ronan did turn in some terrific work as the conflicted vampire daughter of Gemma Arterton in Neil Jordan's Byzantium earlier this past summer and once again shows why she's one of the best out there in terms of young actresses. At just 19, Ronan has yet to reach her peak and, provided she continues to make wise decisions, she's only gonna get better. Along with Ronan, there's some solid supporting work from George MacKay, who's essentially the hunky love interest that just stands there brooding as him and Daisy share a throwaway romance, and Tom Holland, who was also in one of the best films of 2012, The Impossible, playing opposite Naomi Watts.

      The obvious tone shift will certainly put-off some viewers, and I myself preferred the grittier, darker tone of the middle and ending. That said, this film is elevated by a talented young cast led by another great performance from Saoirse Ronan. Director Kevin Macdonald also provides a nice, visual touch to his "world gone to hell in a handbasket" scenario and unlike other similarly themed films we've seen before, this take doesn't seem that far removed from reality. I give How I Live Now a B (★★★).